Time Is Nothing (John Frusciante)

Chapter 49

Cecilia waited behind the door, her heart beating with crippling anxiety and her mind filled with so many questions and so many doubts.

It just wasn't possible, she thought.

The things John had told her just weren't possible and she was certain that there was a reasonable explanation for all of this. She refused to believe that her best friend would do such a thing to her. She absolutely refused to believe it.

If John had called and if he had come to the hospital, then for sure she would have been notified, she thought. Jessica was there the whole time and she saw all the pain she went through and how broken she was and there was no way she wouldn't have told her. Of course, John wasn't exactly her favourite person at that time considering the drugs and everything that was happening, but she couldn't have been so cruel.

Or could she?

When Cecilia thought about it, it did seem odd that Jessica was so against her seeing John, even the idea of it. She always said that she didn't want Cecilia to relive those traumatic events, but what if the reason was something else? What if she was nervous about the possibility of John telling Cecilia something she didn't want her to know? And at the time, she did advise her to leave him.

No, she then decided again. There must be another explanation.

"Hey," she was suddenly shaken out of her thoughts when the door opened and a smiling Jessica greeted her.

"Hey," Cecilia answered, her eyes red from crying and looking not even one bit as cheery as her friend.

"Cecilia..," Jessica breathed in surprise, noticing the tear-stained face.

"Is something wrong?" she inquired, "Did something happen?"

"I don't.. I don't know," Cecilia only mumbled in response and shoved herself through the door and past her, making her way to the living room.

"Uh.. Okay," Jessica answered with a confused tone as she closed the door and followed her, not understanding Cecilia's odd behaviour nor her sudden appearance at her house in such condition.

"Care to talk about it?" she questioned as she looked at her with a perplexed expression.

"I uh..," Cecilia slowly worded, "I was just at.. I was at John's."

She focused her eyes on Jessica's and stared right into them, seeing how her best friend's face dropped the moment she mentioned John's name.

"Again?" Jessica almost stuttered, "Why?"

Cecilia wouldn't answer. She stayed silent and only continued staring at her, feeling how the room suddenly filled with tension and anxiety. She understood how nervous Jessica was as she watched blood disappear from her face with every passing second, the realization of it not sitting well with Cecilia.

Something was wrong.

Something was wrong and she knew it. And so did Jessica.

She knew by the look on Cecilia's face that she wasn't here for a random chit-chat. She was here with a reason and the reason was that she wanted answers. And Jessica could easily guess for which kind of questions.

"Was he there?" Cecilia asked, the tone of her voice close to a whisper, "Did he come to the hospital?"

"Cecilia..," Jessica worded, about to say something, when Cecilia interrupted her, able to read the guilt from her face a mile away.

"Was he there?" she repeated, this time with a rather demanding tone.

Jessica couldn't look at her. She hid her eyes and stared at the floor, finally mumbling a shaky "Yes" after a moment of silence.